Prosecutors have argued that Stauch took steps to cover up her actions - proof that she knew what she did was wrong - and was therefore sane. Allen pointed out that Lewis did not know how sanity is defined under Colorado law. Dorothy Lewis, author of the book “Crazy, Not Insane” and featured in an HBO documentary with the same title, concluded Stauch suffered from dissociative identity disorder - when someone has two or more personalities as the result of trauma - and was not sane at the time. The defense claims Stauch suffered a psychotic break because of trauma from being physically, emotionally and sexually abused by her mother’s string of partners during her childhood.

Under Colorado law, that means understanding the difference between right and wrong and being able to form the intent to commit a crime. Stauch is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.Įxperts at the state mental hospital concluded that Stauch had a personality disorder with borderline and narcissistic features but was sane at the time Gannon was killed. “The brutality of it speaks to the abject hatred she had for Gannon and the pure determination she had to kill Gannon,” Allen said. He pointed to how Stauch had done a Google search for “I don’t like my stepson” and had also researched getting a moving truck and places to live in Florida before killing him.

Prosecutors are not required to prove a motive but District Attorney Michael Allen said they had shown that Stauch killed Gannon because she hated him and because it was a way to hurt her husband, whom she planned to leave.

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